Ars Nova seeks Marketing Director

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT
MARKETING DIRECTOR

POSTING DATE: March 2021
STATUS: Full-Time Exempt
SALARY: $75,000

Ars Nova seeks a strategic thinker, people-connector, momentum builder and leader to join us as Marketing Director. The Director serves as a key member of the theater’s senior management team and will drive audience development and engagement strategy and all efforts to meet the organization’s sales goals.

Ars Nova exists to discover, develop and launch singular theater, comedy and music artists who are in the early stages of their careers. We were founded as a playground and a launch pad for emerging artists to create new work, with a dual mission to build the next generation of audiences for live entertainment by prioritizing a zeitgeist-forward aesthetic and marrying it with accessible ticket prices. Today, Ars Nova is known for its “pop-culture-savvy experimentation, with a hipness that sets it apart” (New York Times).

This is an exciting opportunity for a talented and ambitious leader advancing in the field of live-entertainment marketing to make an impact on Ars Nova, the field at large, and most importantly, on the lives of the next generation of performing-arts makers and fans.

Ars Nova recognizes both that it is a predominantly white institution and that our institutional practices have led to the exclusion of Black, Indigenous and People of Color from our team. We are actively working to become a more diverse, anti-racist, inclusive organization; please see our commitments and progress towards these objectives HERE. We hope BIPOC candidates will accept our invitation to apply.

KEY PURPOSE OF POSITION/GOALS:

The Marketing Director is the CEO of Ars Nova’s marketing and communication strategy, and is directly responsible for our branding, marketing, public relations, sales, front of house operations, customer service and audience engagement and acquisition.
Specifically, you will:

Create and implement an institutional marketing and communications plan in support of Ars Nova’s strategic goals;
Lead the creation of a comprehensive audience development plan to diversify our audiences and build an inclusive space for all;
Elevate the Ars Nova brand within the conscious mind of our city and our industry;
Motivate your team to craft marketing and engagement campaigns for membership and single ticket sales resulting in events filled with young, diverse audiences;
Serve as a member of Ars Nova’s highly collaborative senior leadership team, guiding initiatives, building consensus and harnessing the expertise of constituents across the organization;
Cultivate a risk-taking work environment that enables innovation and growth in new technology and marketing practices.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES AND COMPETENCIES:
The responsibilities, competencies and expectations outlined below are representative, not exhaustive. Responsibilities may shift as needed to best align with organizational needs.

Developing and executing a consistent articulation of Ars Nova’s desired image and position as an industry-leading, high-quality innovator and aspirational destination for artists throughout the NYC community, the theater world and beyond to all constituents, both internal and external.
Strategizing, creating, managing and executing targeted marketing plans for all programs and initiatives, including:
Planning, managing and executing branding, market research, media planning, market segmentation, targeting and pricing strategies;
Developing and monitoring revenue projections and implementing strategies to maximize revenue;
Directing the development of all visual and print materials.
Working with Ars Nova’s Press Representative, John Wsyznewski, to generate ideas to garner media attention for Ars Nova and our artists and keep the press informed of our events and initiatives.
Leading the creation and implementation of audience development initiatives, including:
Building and expanding a sustainable audience base that reflects the diversity of NYC and our nation at large;
Ensuring that the audience’s experience of the theater is inclusive, welcoming, kind and physically comfortable;
Representing Ars Nova, building external contacts, and engaging with various communities, organizations, and service groups.
Mentoring and providing performance management of marketing and audience engagement staff.
Participating as a visionary member of Ars Nova’s team as a strategic thought partner to the Managing Director and Team Leads on short and long-term organizational matters as well as season planning and launch;
Collaborating with the Artistic and Producing Teams - as well as with our artists - to ensure our marketing and engagement efforts are serving the artists’ vision and connecting with their intended audiences;
Collaborating with the Development Director, Mac Ingram to meet institutional goals and integrate organizational strategy and customer relationship management in marketing and fundraising efforts;
Attending Full Board and Committee meetings as helpful or necessary;
Assisting other teams within the organization as necessary and appropriate.
Serving on at least one of our Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Working Groups and contributing to the advancement of cross-team EDI objectives.

ABOUT YOU:

You have a passion for theater, for artists of all stripes, and love connecting communities to each other and to live entertainment;
You are relentlessly curious, question the status quo and engage in solution-oriented systems-thinking;
You are adept at navigating authority, responsibility and transparency both vertically and horizontally within a highly collaborative framework;
You are a quick-thinker, love brainstorming and have the ability to conceive of both the strategy and operational aspects of a project or program while simultaneously weighing and managing multiple and competing priorities;
You optimize human and financial resources in keeping with core values, and monitor and forecast program income and expenses with well-reasoned accuracy;
You share our commitment to anti-racism and creating and maintaining an inclusive environment, are excited about joining our efforts to make Ars Nova a more just and equitable place to work and make work, and have the ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds;
You thrive in all-out, go-big-or-go-home environments (you know, the kind that would greenlight a 24hr Telethon 2 months into a shutdown caused by a global pandemic).

BONUS IF :

You have 5-7 years training and/or experience in marketing for an arts, creative, or forward-thinking organization (not-for-profit experience a plus);
You have a sophisticated understanding of Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression principles and practices;
Your aesthetic/taste aligns with our brand;
You bring a robust background in writing, editing and creative direction;
You demonstrate knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite;
You have experience managing and leading teams (an interest in mentorship and staff professional development a plus).

AN EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITY:
This is an exempt, full-time position with a starting annual salary of $75,000. Ars Nova offers fair pay: we compensate both fairly and competitively within the not-for-profit entertainment industry, as well as on a transparent level salary system within the organization; our Fair Pay Guidelines are available HERE. Benefits include health and dental insurance, an open and unlimited vacation policy, an Employee Assistance Program offering confidential counseling, legal support, work-life solutions and the like, opt-in 403B, FSA, and TransitChek plans, and more